You and everyone else buddy! RKS is one strain where you could walk through any small town in Northern California at one time and pinpoint every single house where someone was smoking or growing it-which played no small part in people like Sam the Skunkman breeding the RKS stank out of Skunk in favor of the fruity notes, thus giving birth to Skunk #1. That crap was so pervasive and spread to every corner of the country via the Dutch and basically ethnically cleansed the RKS, starting the "fruity" weed obsession that continues to this day.
I love reading the various RKS threads on different forums, all these people with the same goal, going back decades, and guess what? Not a single example of real RKS to be found. Most of the top breeders had RKS programs at one point or another. Every single one was a letdown. I've almost given up on it, but the idea that some dusty ass seeds survived out there just waiting for the right person to germ and distribute them has kept it on my backburner.
Now, I don't want to get anyone's hope up yet, but I know a breeder who is working with some very old seeds who thinks he might have the real deal. I've heard this many times before, so I'm not holding my breath, but I'll be getting some of the first seeds that come from his project and will post my grow with them. Worst case scenario I end up with some skunky plants, best case my carbon filter fails and I'm choking on rancid skunk meat fumes while eating my cheerios with angry neighbors pounding on my door.
I have absolutely no illusions that I'm going to grow the same strain that I used to pick up in Arcata - probably not as good as I remember anyway lol. --
-NOTHING will smell the way I remember it - but that's because there's 30 years of foggy memories to alter reality.
While there are "heirloom" or "landrace" strains that did manage to escape modernization, Skunk (IMHO) unfortunately wasn't one of them. The skunk scent has been bred out (primarily during prohibition to escape detection) in favor of fruity / citrusy / cookies & cakes - I think that's at the cost of some of the better terps (and effects) that COULD be had.
BUT - I'd like to get as close as I can.
I really want to find some of the "old-school" effects - not "couch-lock", I want "Gravity Hole".
I want my cheeks to hurt from giggling and I don't mind the idea that I might have a paranoid sativa in my collection either - I LIKE that kind of stuff sometimes. (hoping Kashmir fills that bill when I get to grow it this winter)
My Herijuana had a horrid smell during early flower - like a used baby diaper dragged through bong resin - but no skunk. Sandalwood, FUNK and something I can't quite ID --- a deep sweetness that tastes familiar - I've said tropical punch before, but that doesn't quite cover it.
Effects are nice though - very "classic" stone to it.
Good luck on your hunt! -- Here's hoping your (our) carbon filters fail!
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